History

Important dates from the history of the Prague Public Transport Company

1 Sep 1897

Electrical Utilities of the King's City of Prague commenced activity. They operate public transport services and produce electricity. One of the goals of the EC is to concentrate public transport into one city company.

30 Jun 1898

Electrical Utilities purchase a horse-drawn line and commence its electrification

5 Aug 1907

With the purchase of Small Electrical Lines Prague - Libeň - Vysočany, Electrical Utilities complete their monopoly of tram transport in Prague.

15 Jul 1942

Electrical Utilities, together with gasworks and waterworks, are subsumed into Prague City Utilities.

7 Mar 1946

After the nationalisation of electrical power plants and the splitting off of waterworks, the Prague City Utilities are composed of only the Public Transport unit.

6 Sep 1946

Prague City Utilities are renamed to the Prague Public Transport Utilities.

1 Jan 1949

The Prague Public Transport Company, communal company, is created.

1 Jul 1953

The Transport Company is transformed to a so-called „communal economy" company.

1 Jan 1961

Passenger boat traffic on the central portion of the Vltava River is made a part of the TC

1 Jan 1962

Taxi and car rental services are made a part of the TC.

1 Jan 1971

Reorganization of the Transport Co. The Prague Transport Utility is established, composed of several companies with separate corporate standing.

1 Jan 1977

The Transport Utility is changed to a syndicate, which strengthens the standing of the company as a whole.

1 Jul 1977

The TU is responsible for all road maintenance (repairs & cleaning), and also for picking up and disposing of municipal waste.

In place of a syndicate, the Prague Public Transport Company Combine, state company, is established

1 Apr 1991

The Prague Public Transit Company becomes a joint-stock company, with branch plants instituted within its scope. The separation of other activities into subsidiary companies continues (boat transport, manufacture of rail structures, etc.).

2003

Long-term transformation process commences.

Important dates from the history of public transport in Prague

Oct 1829

Wagoner Jakub Chocenský is granted a concession for the operation of two omnibus lines, and thus becomes a pioneer in operating regular passenger transport in Prague.

23 Sep 1875

With the first start of a horse-drawn tram from the National Theatre to Karlín operation of pubic transport begins.

31 May 1891

Operation commences of a surface funicular on Letná, powered by a water gravity system.

18 July 1891

The first Czech electrical tram in Prague commences operation on Letná, as a result of the efforts by leading Czech electrical engineer, František Křižik.

25 July 1891

The surface funicular on Petřín Hill, built by the Petřín Lookout Tower Co-op, commences operation. It is powered, as with the funicular on Letná, by a water gravity system.

Electrical Utilities of the King's City of Prague are created, the direct predecessor of today's Prague Public Transport Company.

29 Sep 1905

An electrical tram begins operation on the Charles Bridge. Due to frequent breakdowns, tram traffic on the Charles Bridge is soon abandoned in 1908.

7 Mar 1908

Electrical Utilities commence operation of the first Prague (and Czech) bus line from Malostranské náměstí to Pohořelec. Due to technical difficulties, operation ceases on 17 Nov 1909, and Prague is once again without buses.

21 Jun 1925

Buses become an important, and now permanent, supplement to the tram network on Line A from Vršovice to Záběhlice.

29 Aug 1936

A new feature of Prague public transport is a trolley bus line on the first route from the Střešovice depot to St. Matthew's Church. Trolley bus operation ceases on 15 October 1972.

Operation commences on the second metro line (A) in the section Leninova (today Dejvická) - Náměstí Míru. Besides excavated stations, familiar from Line C, it includes deeply situated three-tunnel stations.

2 Nov 1985

The basic Prague metro network is completed with the third line - B - in its first operational section from Smíchovské nádraží - Sokolovská (today Florenc).

1992

Creation of Prague Integrated Transport, a transport system for Prague and its region of interest operated by multiple transport companies under identical conditions for passengers. Subsequently numerous rail lines of Czech Rail are included into PIT.

1 Jun 1996

Changes are made to the passenger handling system for mass public trasport in Prague and its surrounding region, also making possible fundamental fare reforms. Transferable fares are reinstated.

28 Nov 2003

A high-speed tram track from Hlubočepy to Barrandov commences operation.

You can find more information about the history of public trasport in Prague in our publications or the Transport Company archives, which you'll find at the end of the No. 7 tram line in Hostivař in the Public Trasport Repair Facilities, Building H. Materials in the archive are accessible to the professional public after a preliminary agreement based on conditions listed in the Archives Act.